With the help of several talented young chefs, the nation's capital has become a fresh and lively dining destinationBy Tom Sietsema

A local favorite, Matchbox offers some of the pizza in town at moderate prices. Photo courtesy of Matchbox

I f you haven't eaten in Washington recently, you're in for a monumental surprise. New dining rooms are popping up like presidential aspirants, and many established restaurants are working harder than ever to meet a loftier food bar. The nation's capital, long a worthy dining destination, has in recent seasons morphed into a first-class restaurant market.

The evidence is everywhere: in the bright young chefs who are leaving great kitchens elsewhere to come set up shop here, for example. (Think Eric Ziebold, a veteran of the trail-blazing Laundry, presently at the helm of the fashionable Cityzen.) Proof also surfaces in previously overlooked neighborhoods such as Washington's Penn Quarter and Alexandria's Old Town, both now bursting with enticing menu options. Few American chefs are as widely copied as Washington's Michel Richard, and the city can now lay claim to some of the most exciting pizza, cocktails, and interiors in the country. As never before, food helps fuel the capital's reputation as a power center.

Tom Sietsema is the food critic for the Washington Post and the author of "The Washington Post Dining Guide." He previously worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the San Francisco Chronicle.